'If Pant can play consistently, he will be a hero for the Indian team' - Former India Cricketer Arun Lal predicts Pant's future

Former India cricketer Arun Lal, who recently stepped down as the Bengal Cricket Coach, has appreciated Rishabh Pant's recent performances. He predicted that the bashing India wicketkeeper could well lead the Indian Cricket Team shortly after Rohit Sharma.

He told Jagran TV that Rishabh is not a batter who is afraid and can go on to become the Captain as he has all the abilities for it. "Yes, absolutely (On being asked if Rishabh Pant is the future captain after Rohit Sharma). I always feel that the captain must deserve his place among the top three in the team," Lal said.

"He (Pant) is someone who is not afraid to play his game, can handle pressure well, can take the team out of tough situations and such a player can be a great leader. It will be good for Indian cricket if we can have an aggressive player like Pant as captain of the side," he added.

The former India cricketer also heaped praise on Virat Kohli for his aggression and the way he lead the Indian Test Team to win many away matches. He said that it was under Kohli's captaincy that the Indian team fought harder and won matches instead of going for draws. He went on to add that it was Kohli that set the future of the Indian Test Team.

“There was a time when winning in Test cricket was considered once you secured yourself a draw. But this thinking has changed now and I give complete credit to Virat Kohli. He changed the mindset of the team and made the team play for a win without the fear of losing. Virat brought that aggression to the team and it can’t get any better if Pant can continue this. If Pant can play consistently, he will be a hero for the Indian team," Lal said.

Lal analyzed that if a player performs well in red-ball cricket, he might well be able to perform in white-ball cricket, and it was not the same other way. He lauded Pant for coming up with more match-winning knocks across formats. He praised the batter for having played stunning knocks when he has not even turned 25 yet.

"I have seen Rishabh Pant changing the tides both in Tests and limited-overs formats. It is not about scoring centuries, but a century that comes under difficult circumstances and helps to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat," Lal said.